Who needs a Samsung smartwatch anyway?

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Smartwatch a smart idea?

Story highlights

Samsung has launched its smartwatch which it is calling the Galaxy Gear

Technology analyst Jeff Kagan says the wireless industry reinvents itself every few years

The smartwatch will connect and communicate with Galaxy phones and tablets

So does anyone need it? Kagan says we need to wait and see -- we might be surprised

Samsung just launched their next, new, big time product. It's the Galaxy Gear smartwatch. Are you kidding? What the heck is a smartwatch anyway? Who needs it? Are we simply going too far? Do we really need yet one more piece of technology to carry around? Well the answer is yes, and you may be surprised why.

I have been an industry analyst following the wireless industry since its beginning. I have have followed and commented on many companies and technologies over nearly 30 years. I have learned quite a bit over this time.

One of the key points I have learned is this: The wireless industry reinvents itself every few years. And the smartwatch revolution is getting ready to sweep across and transform the wireless industry once again.

Years ago the networks transformed from analog to digital, opening the door to all these amazing devices and services we use today. The smartphone was born. Back then, Blackberry and Nokia led.

Then, six years ago, the Apple iPhone and Google Android entered the picture and transformed the industry once again. The super-smart-phone was born. The tablet was next. Mixed in all that noise, the cloud was born.

Suddenly the marketplace leaders have changed. Today they are Apple with the iPhone and iPad, Google Android and Samsung with the Galaxy smartphones and tablets.

The last few years have been quiet. This year will be different. Suddenly we are seeing new thinking and new technology that will be just as popular entering the marketplace and capturing the headlines.

The Samsung smartwatch is not a stand-alone device. Rather it connects and communicates with the Galaxy phones and tablets.

Why do we need a watch? Well the smartphone is growing in importance to many of us. Yesterday we wouldn't leave the house without taking our keys, wallet and smartphone. Tomorrow all we'll have to grab is the smartphone.

It will open our doors and start our cars, it will have credit card information and drivers license and pictures and all sorts of other goodies. It will let us communicate with our doctors, our car, retail stores and so on.

In that world we'll be pulling out our smartphone all the time. It will get to be a real pain in the neck. That's where the smartwatch comes into the picture.

Samsung introduced the first smartwatch. It will communicate with their smartphone and their tablet. You can see how many emails, text messages, postings on social sites and more you are getting. You can even read them on the watch if you choose.

Photos: A brief history of smartwatches 11 photos

Photos: A brief history of smartwatches11 photos

The battle of the smartwatches – The Pebble Watch first gained attention by pulling in more than $10 million on Kickstarter. Pebble connects to an iPhone or Android phone via Bluetooth and has a growing selection of its own apps.

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Photos: A brief history of smartwatches11 photos

The battle of the smartwatches – Unveiled by TomTom in 2013, the new Nike+ Sportwatch colors have been chosen to match Nike's apparel and shoe ranges. Features include an extra-large display, a graphical training partner and a one-button control. Colors include black/anthracite, anthracite/blue glow and volt green.

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Photos: A brief history of smartwatches11 photos

The battle of the smartwatches – The Italian-made aluminum "I'm Watch," announced at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, sells for $249. It comes in seven colors and runs the Droid 2 operating system. It connects to Android smartphones using Bluetooth.

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Photos: A brief history of smartwatches11 photos

The battle of the smartwatches – A full-color touch screen device, the $130 Sony SmartWatch only syncs with Android devices. When paired with a phone over Bluetooth, it can receive notifications for email, texts, social networks and calendars.

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Photos: A brief history of smartwatches11 photos

The battle of the smartwatches – The Motoactv smartwatch is marketed as a fitness tracker. It acts as a heart-rate monitor and pedometer, has GPS and an MP3 player. There are also a number of off-the-wrist mount options, including a handlebar strap, armband and chest strap.

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Photos: A brief history of smartwatches11 photos

The battle of the smartwatches – The MetaWatch has a retro-looking, black-and-white screen, but it can connect to newer iPhones in addition to Android devices. It is also a water-resistant sports watch that tracks pace and distance. The watch starts at $179 and is available with various colored bands or in black or white leather.

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Photos: A brief history of smartwatches11 photos

The battle of the smartwatches – J.K. Shin, head of Samsung Mobile Communications, presents the Samsung Galaxy Gear in Berlin in 2013. Six months later, a second-generation watch featured a new operating system and more processing power.

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Photos: A brief history of smartwatches11 photos

The battle of the smartwatches – The Samsung Gear S, the company's third-generation smartwatch, made an advance many users, and reluctant nonusers, had been clamoring for. It has 3G connectivity and can be used without tethering it to a smartphone. Unveiled August 27, it is scheduled to ship in October, with no price yet announced.

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Photos: A brief history of smartwatches11 photos

The battle of the smartwatches – The long-rumored "iWatch" from Apple could take the same approach, or, like others, require a connection with a smartphone. Health and fitness apps are expected to be front and center on the new device.

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Photos: A brief history of smartwatches11 photos

The battle of the smartwatches – Apple's products have already been used as de facto smartwatches. The iPod nano's small, square touchscreen was a natural fit for the wrist. Spotting the potential to turn the iPod into a watch face, companies such as Lunatik make kits that included mounts and slick straps.

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The battle of the smartwatches – Apple is expected to roll out its entry in the field this week. Could it look like this concept design?

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EXPAND GALLERY

You'll have access to your calendar and all sorts of apps based on what you want to see on the watch. It's up to you. But it all works together over the cloud.

Sure there are risks. You have to protect your data like you do on your laptop. And you have to hope the bad guys don't invade the cloud services that will start popping up all over the place.

But one way or another, the cloud is in your future.

So Samsung wants you to buy a Samsung smartwatch to talk with your Samsung Galaxy smartphone that talks with your Samsung Galaxy tablet and you can store all your information on the Samsung cloud or Google cloud.

The benefit to Samsung and Google is the more pieces of the puzzle you buy from them, the more they've got you. And they want to get you.

What about Apple? They reserved the name iWatch a while back and we expected them to introduce their new device first. This time however Samsung beat Apple to the punch.

Will Apple introduce their iWatch? I say yes. Whether it's next week or in the near future I do think Apple will jump into the same smart watch space. It's the next wireless frontier.

Then, we have to ask, what's coming next? Quite a bit, actually. And it will all be linked together over the cloud.

Can the smartwatch really compete in an already crowded market of mobile devices or will customers reject it? Without hesitation, yes.

Is this a gamble on Samsung's part? Well, on one hand, every new innovative idea is a gamble. But I think this will be a big success and get bigger over time. Just like with the tablets.

The whole idea here is for companies like Samsung, Google and Apple to build an environment that both captivates and captures their audience. The cloud will be the core technology that will tie all these innovative ideas together.

I think customers will love this smartwatch, the same way they love the tablets, smartphones, computers and the cloud. This is just one more piece of the puzzle that attracts and retains more customers. And companies will love it as well because it creates a tighter relationship with each customer.

So who needs this new smartwatch? Just wait and see how successful it becomes over the next few years. You will be very surprised.